The Linguini Occurrence Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Yes it was a racist song. Yes it's an amazing song. It should be performed live again with the lyrics about blacks, immigrants and gays removed.Fixed.Damn this place loves to beat topics into the ground. It's Groundhog Day every day at MYGNR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I think it is racist in that way that society defines it. Just the use of the word is racist. Like if a tv sports commentator uses it on air. Context is never really taken into account.In this case, it's a song. Like in a movie, if that character says it, it's a realistic depiction. Whether Axl was just being honest about words he's used in that situation getting off the bus in downtown LA. I do think it comes from an aggressive point of view. People are saying sure you're going to make it Axl back home. To me it's that naive kid who got off the bus saying those line. Suddenly they were huge and could say this is how it was for me. But it's not that simple. The listener doesn't know it's a character. Like with Catcher who could work that one out?to me OIAM sound like an early version of Jungle 2. Like if they worked it up with electric guitars and full band and toned down some of the lyrics "police and street vendors" doesn't quite have the same ring to it though.I don't think the song is meant as a manifesto of hate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jekylhyde Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 (edited) It's not a racist song. Provoking, but not racist. It's a character saying those things, not Axl. Or did Axl also kill his girlfriend and bury her? Edited July 23, 2013 by jekylhyde Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManetsBR Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 It's not a racist song. Provoking, but not racist. It's a character saying those things, not Axl. Or did Axl also kill his girlfriend and bury her?Exactly. He's also not the devil (Sympathy).That's called Persona or lyrical self. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Len B'stard Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 There is no way possible that a song can be racist. Racism is in a persons intent and only Axl knows what his intent was. And as far as the 'character saying things' line, thats fuckin' bullshit sorry to say because Axl has said many times that the song was autobiographical...and even tried to defend the use of the offending words...and not very well either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I don't think Axl is a racist, you can take the song anyway you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russel Nash Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 It's a rant/song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 That's a good point. A lot of GNR songs seem to capture an emotional moment. This is just another one, it's not always pretty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Universal_Sigh Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 It's just ignorant in every way. It's racist, xenophobic, homophobic..... The last verse has some justification though. Axl COULD have defended the song and it would have made some sense. If he said something like "If you listen to the first two verses you hear my ignorant opinion before meeting more people and moving to the city. Then, the last verse is me realizing I'm no better than anyone else and that's honestly how I thought back then. Of course I don't think that way now and the third verse goes to that."Instead he proved he was all those terrible things by saying idiotic bullshit like "it's aimed at certain black people" and shit like that.... man, I forget the other explanation he gave but it was equally stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young_Gun Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 It's just ignorant in every way. It's racist, xenophobic, homophobic..... The last verse has some justification though. Axl COULD have defended the song and it would have made some sense. If he said something like "If you listen to the first two verses you hear my ignorant opinion before meeting more people and moving to the city. Then, the last verse is me realizing I'm no better than anyone else and that's honestly how I thought back then. Of course I don't think that way now and the third verse goes to that."Instead he proved he was all those terrible things by saying idiotic bullshit like "it's aimed at certain black people" and shit like that.... man, I forget the other explanation he gave but it was equally stupid. This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcano62 Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NGOG Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 'One in a Million' is most definitely blighted by deeply ignorant lyrics. It just captures the politics of a southern white boy going to the big city. Obviously Axl as a person evolved into much more progressive views. But I do think at a point he intended to platform GNR on its southern roots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockerman Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 You know why this song rubs so many people raw? Because THEY themselves think that way and it embarasses them! All you "diverse thinking political correct" people are the most insensitive and judgemental people I know and your hell bent on making damn sure that everyone thinks and behaves the same exact way as you. The Irony of it is in the attempt- you piss all over your arguments...who and what is accepatable for WHOSE POINT OF VIEW?? Whose agenda gets served when the language is modified to the degree that nothing means anything and descriptive words gets massacred . In the US its getting Worse ..one says the word "BLACK" and it summons "Racial" and then the tsk tsk police are there to remind us that that is inappropriate. I see the song as a snapshot.. a well painted picture with words that sums up what most of the world says and thinks in thier sick twisted little minds for their sick twisted little ways. While all of those people that gets all butt hurt over the power of words get all up in arms... they seldom if ever have the honesty to to voice the reality of their own souls. You seldom hear them when they mutter their disdain for ANY AND ALL forms of humanity that expresses themselves culturally, socially, finacially different. Try being a small town white boy in modern America where almost everything of your gender, political religious NATIONAL and cultural affiliation is called into question to the degree where there is almost an expected apology attached to it just for breathing. Yeah reverse discrimination is out there and its LOUD AND IT IS PROUD. Who hasnt labled someone an asshole..a bully...a bitch...a jock..a queer..a geek...a poser...a prick..posh..Christian, muslim Hindu Jew Latino. Brazilian..Argentinian...Liberal ..Conservative etc???? taken in context depending on ones point of view and how they experience the world those lables summon up either antagonism or acceptance...and yet they are just words but they are lables as well. As AXl sang in another song..."when everybodies fighting for the promised land" he wasnt talking about Israel there folks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TombRaider Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 what was he talking about then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollywood Gunner Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 (edited) You know why this song rubs so many people raw? Because THEY themselves think that way and it embarasses them! All you "diverse thinking political correct" people are the most insensitive and judgemental people I know and your hell bent on making damn sure that everyone thinks and behaves the same exact way as you. The Irony of it is in the attempt- you piss all over your arguments...who and what is accepatable for WHOSE POINT OF VIEW?? Whose agenda gets served when the language is modified to the degree that nothing means anything and descriptive words gets massacred . In the US its getting Worse ..one says the word "BLACK" and it summons "Racial" and then the tsk tsk police are there to remind us that that is inappropriate.I see the song as a snapshot.. a well painted picture with words that sums up what most of the world says and thinks in thier sick twisted little minds for their sick twisted little ways. While all of those people that gets all butt hurt over the power of words get all up in arms... they seldom if ever have the honesty to to voice the reality of their own souls.You seldom hear them when they mutter their disdain for ANY AND ALL forms of humanity that expresses themselves culturally, socially, finacially different.Try being a small town white boy in modern America where almost everything of your gender, political religious NATIONAL and cultural affiliation is called into question to the degree where there is almost an expected apology attached to it just for breathing. Yeah reverse discrimination is out there and its LOUD AND IT IS PROUD.Who hasnt labled someone an asshole..a bully...a bitch...a jock..a queer..a geek...a poser...a prick..posh..Christian, muslim Hindu Jew Latino. Brazilian..Argentinian...Liberal ..Conservative etc???? taken in context depending on ones point of view and how they experience the world those lables summon up either antagonism or acceptance...and yet they are just words but they are lables as well.As AXl sang in another song..."when everybodies fighting for the promised land" he wasnt talking about Israel there folksgood postright now im actually wondering how many people on this very site would condemn OIAM as being "racist" yet have made derogatory comments about brazil, argentina, or any other "foreign" countries for that matter, themselves Edited July 23, 2013 by Hollywood Gunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TombRaider Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 OIAM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollywood Gunner Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 OIAM? the song you created this thread about lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TombRaider Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 LOL... why do you guys use so many abbreviations in English? It'd have been easier to say One in a Million Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollywood Gunner Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 my last post actually made me think... if axl really was racist... would he really consider a brazilian woman to be his "mum" ? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TombRaider Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 Word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockerman Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 (edited) Word. "One in a million" - meaning that who ever he is singing the song about(himself?) is unique and stands out from all the others. Hell no Hollywood Gunner..Axl isnt raciest..hes like 99.9% of humanity and that is simply calling the shots as he sees them, unfortunately we live in an era where the word lables like "raciest, terrorist, homophobic, etc...are becomeing just as derogitory and hate filled not to mention career ending by just being called or accused of it. To me that is a million times more terrifying than being called a small town white boy/ni g ger/ hooray for tolerance! or as i typed- F a gg ot /immigrant/ radical... power to the words we use..they create the world we live in. Edited July 24, 2013 by rockerman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts